Bridge Builders

Creating a Bridge to a Brighter Future

Bridge Builders began with a desire to help homeless families in our communities. It was founded in 2003 by a small group of Glen Ellyn friends who wanted to increase awareness about Bridge Communities, as well as sponsor entertaining, fun and educational opportunities for client families - in particular the children.

Over the years, Bridge Builders has offered several educational seminars and family-focused activities that have helped enrich client families' experiences while in the Bridge Communities Transitional Housing Program. Bridge Builders has sponsored nutrition counseling sessions, cooking workshops, relationship and dating workshops, family picnics and other family fun activities. Bridge Builders has helped underwrite costs for summer day and overnight camps, music lessons, family portraits, holiday meals and special family events, such as a basketball game to see the Harlem Globe Trotters. Bridge Builders also provides child care for client families at Bridge Communities' sponsored events and meetings.

Bridge Communities' Scholarship Fund

Bridge Builders is most proud of the scholarship program developed for the youth that are in the Transitional Housing Program. Bridge Builders' Scholarship Fund is designed to enrich the lives of teens and young adults in the Bridge Communities program through traditional education, social, health, fitness and personal development.

Funds raised for the Scholarship Fund have helped children/youth:

attend YMCA fitness camp

attend Bulls basketball skills camp

attend local park district football camp

participate in karate lessons

participate in a class field trip to Springfield, Illinois

attend College of DuPage education courses

purchase an electric scooter for physically challenged high school student

attend overnight summer camps

attend overnight Christian faith development and leadership camps

participate in Equine Therapy Camp for a child who had been in foster care

Most notably, the Bridge Builder's Scholarship Fund has provided SIX renewable $1,500 college scholarships to graduating high school seniors that are attending accredited universities, including:

Southern Illinois University

University of Illinois at Chicago

College of DuPage

Benedictine University

Milwaukee School of Engineering

Become a Bridge Builder

Bridge Builders continues to grow through its membership, fundraising events and geographical impact:

If you are interested in becoming a Bridge Builder, please contact Barbara Arentsen at arentsen@wowway.com

If you are interested in expanding Bridge Builders to your community, please contact Sue Lupori at slupori@att.net

If you are interested in joining the Bridge Builders event mailing list, please contact Kathy Doyle at kdoyle196@aol.com

If you are interested in donating to Bridge Builders, please contact Patricia Lekacz at patricia@lekacz.com

If you are interested in becoming an event sponsor, please contact Deb Ritter at deb@ritter.name

"By providing housing to a family in need, Bridge allows us to save the money we need for the future. My wonderful case manager and mentors taught me how to see my future and make better decisions in a way that I had never done before. I am now, on my own, able to continue my life down a path that was started by their guidance."